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What is Technology (Society as an Illusion-Part 6) – TBWJP006

Society as an Illusion

This is the final installment of our series of podcasts about technology. This episode dissects technology by examining how society makes it impossible for the being to survive. As echoed in previous episodes, the being may have no alternatives but to adhere to already approved technologies to survive.

The problem is that such technologies can be rationed to a point where the being seldom has access to them.  As a result, the being may have no means of survival. This is the nature of the social environment.

Here, I argue that society is an illusion. The reason being is that it is an artificial place. While the idea itself is natural, its applications are unpredictable. Society is a precarious environment for the being. He is an orphan in such a milieu.

Society could also be detrimental for the being in the end. More often than not, the being becomes an illusion. The being often has no relevance other than the ones given to him by others. This conjuncture often worsens the struggle for survival. In the end, what is technology, or what it should be, is diverted to benefit the few and to the detriment of the many.

Technology and Gadgets

Gadgets are not the only means of technology. I would say that technology is not necessarily the gadgets, the electronics, the tools, or the techniques (the know-how or the savoir faire) men have invented over the last few decades or so. Technology includes an array of tools and techniques, which are available in nature.

Every being has the means to create technologies to survive. But because of the social environment itself, few people enjoy such means. As a result, technology becomes the tools and the gadgets a few men have approved for consumption. This is where humanity took the wrong turn, I would say.

The question is what we could do to fix the ills of humanity, at least through technology. What role technology could play in helping the world become a better place for its inhabitants, notably human beings? I am not sure how to answer.

I will say this much though; technology is an important asset for human survival. As a species, we should not be limiting our progress by limiting our technological abilities. The question is how we could enable every being to be on his own term without undermining the control society exerts on him or her. Perhaps you have the answer to this otherwise complex question. Perhaps you need to tackle this issue…

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